Pathos
by Hide-hime
Summary: Muraki... A Shinigami? Has the Doctor truly left his sadistic ways? Where's the fun in that? WARNING: Angst, Slight Gore, and LOTS of Tsuzuki-Seducing! R&R! Chapter 2 Up!
1. Chapter 1

It was the middle of the night, and a dreary one at that. Tsuzuki's brow furrowed as he studied the pictures of the girls in his hands. They had been mutilated something terrible, with limbs missing here and there and all with sinking purple flaps of skin for eyelids. Dear God, their eyes had been plucked out of their skulls! The dark haired Shinigami dammed his tears and looked to Hisoka. The boy seemed to be trembling with rage.  
  
"Dammit! It's Muraki! I know it is!" He screamed, slamming his fist onto the wooden railing. They were staring out at the sea in their usual spot, with a faint mist clinging to their clothes.  
  
"We can't jump to conclusions like that, Hisoka." Tsuzuki cooed, draping one arm around the green eyed boy's shoulders. Oh, he wasn't fooling anyone. He knew it was Muraki, it had come to be expected. But, Tsuzuki couldn't let that be the case. The doctor killed so that Tsuzuki would come to him, so he could touch that supple skin, kiss those ruddy lips… The Shinigami shuddered at the thought.   
  
Sensing something amiss in his partner, Hisoka glanced up at Tsuzuki. "Tsuzuki? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice rather expressive of his building concern. Muraki was a plague to the poor man, always planting seeds of guilt and self-hatred in the Shinigami's mind. Tsuzuki simply shook his head and gave the boy's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Nothing at all, don't worry yourself!" The purple eyed man cheered, shooting Hisoka a bright smile. "Do you mind if we go get something to eat while we think the case over? I'm starving."   
  
Hisoka shook his head and grinned impishly. "Tsuzuki!" He yelled. "That's all you ever think about!" The boy accused, pointing his index finger at the Shinigami's nose. Tsuzuki's eyes grew wide as he removed his hand from Hisoka's shoulder to place them on the side of his own waist. "That just isn't true! I think about you too!"  
  
Blushing slightly, the boy blinked and scowled at Tsuzuki. "And what if I said I didn't want to go out to eat!? What if I said I'd rather stay here!?"  
  
The purple eyed Shinigami pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "Well… I'd…" Tsuzuki mumbled, his voice rather unsure. Instead of shouting at his simple partner, Hisoka laughed and punched the taller man in the bicep painfully. "C'mon, let's go before you start crying!" He teased maliciously, smiling.  
  
Rubbing his upper arm, Tsuzuki glared at the boy. "That hurt!" He complained, turning around to walk towards the small café he was planning to go to. Upon opening his eyes once more, Tsuzuki paled as a familiar white form materialized before him. "Muraki!" He yelled through gritted teeth.  
  
Muraki smiled and let out a rueful giggled. "Tsuzuki…" The Doctor purred, inching his way over to the purple eyed beauty and took his usual post around Tsuzuki. "You get even more beautiful every time I see you, with that life-giving hatred pumping through your veins. How I love it…"  
  
Exploding at the pale man upon seeing the scuffle, Hisoka pounded his fists into Muraki's chest. "Leave Tsuzuki alone!" The Empath commanded. Peeling one white hand from the frightened Tsuzuki's neck, the Doctor touched the warm skin of Hisoka's cheek. "See what I see, feel what I feel. This is my body, this is my blood." Muraki hissed breathily, feeding images into the green eyed boy's imagination.   
  
Hisoka screamed loudly, blacking out and falling limply to the ground. Tsuzuki struggled in Muraki's hold, lashing out at his captor to reach the crumpled Shinigami on the ground. "HISOKA! HISOKA!"   
  
Laughing once more, the silver eyed man clung tightly to Tsuzuki, planting a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Yes, scream for him. You have the most delightful scream."  
  
Tsuzuki, having finally managed to break away from Muraki's clutches, cradled Hisoka's wilted body in his arm. "Hisoka…" He cried to himself, turning a hate-filled scowl up at the Doctor. He, in turn, smiled and dropped a white piece of paper onto the ground. "The girls are here. Come, I'll be waiting. Waiting for you is always sweet torture."  
  
After Muraki vanished from the scene, Tsuzuki shook the Hisoka's shoulders, doing everything possible to wake the boy. Was Muraki actually strong enough to blank Hisoka's sensitive mind? He prayed not. Rather suddenly, Hisoka sprung up and out of the Shinigami's embrace, swiveling his head from side to site to look for his attacker. Discovering he was gone, he sank to his knees, an utterly miserable look of his visage.  
  
"Hisoka… You're alright?" Tsuzuki asked, slowly rising to his feet to watch over his partner. "Yes, Tsuzuki. I'm fine…" The reply left something to be desired, as it was very weak and unconvincing. Crawling over to Tsuzuki's legs, the boy clung to the soft fabric of the Shinigami's pants. "Tsuzuki…" Hisoka whined angrily. "I hate him! I hate him so much!"  
  
Holding Hisoka in his arms a second later, the Shinigami smoothed ashen blonde hair and sighed his own tears away. "I know, so do I. We'll… We'll get rid of him."  
  
******  
Walking stealthily into the large, abandoned acropolis that Muraki had suggested, Tsuzuki scanned the scene for any evidence of the poor girls. It came in the form of throaty noises that sounded more like the screech of a rusty door than that of human screams. The Shinigami headed in the direction of the cries, wondering what he was to find. By the pictures he had received from Kaicho, the victims were dead. Muraki must've brought fresh ones to keep Tsuzuki interested.  
  
Following at Tsuzuki's heels, Hisoka cleared his throat loudly. "Tsuzuki… Do you think he's here? I can feel those eyes bearing down on me."  
  
The dark haired man shook his head. "He's not here, Hisoka. He won't show up until he's given a chance to make an entrance…"  
  
Rounding a corner, Tsuzuki nearly cried out as he saw the victims from the photos, writhing and screaming on the floor. Those empty sockets oozed blood now as the girls slammed their heads into the cold stone, hoping to end their eternal suffering. Hisoka screamed and clung to Tsuzuki, burying his face in the black cloth of the man's coat. The dark haired Shinigami couldn't turn away from the sight, his mouth hanging open as he watched their agony. "Muraki! He screamed in anguish. Reacting to the sound, the living corpses rolled in the two men's direction, screaming even louder now and attempting to form words which were horribly muffled by the gags over their mouths.   
  
Stepping out of the shadows, the afore mentioned culprit smiled sadistically and poised himself against one of the decrepit pillars. "Do you know why I removed their eyes?" The Doctor asked, adjusting his glasses casually. "There was no other way to match the color of your eyes. Those sunken sockets, such a marvelous color…" He whispered.  
  
Tsuzuki pushed Hisoka away, an enraged expression dominating his face. "Hisoka! Run!" The Shinigami warned, charging at Muraki with all the force he could muster. Catching the man's wrists, Muraki smirked viciously and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… So quick to anger. My devotion doesn't touch you?"  
  
Fed up with the man's velvet voice, Tsuzuki screamed, suddenly summoning Touda, the Tern Snake. As black flames devoured the acropolis and everything in it, Hisoka screamed and fled back into the inferno. "TSUZUKI!!! TSUZUKI!!!" He frantically shrieked, ripping through the area with a speed he hadn't known he possessed.  
  
Tangled in each other's arms, Muraki let out a loud, clear laugh. "Tsuzuki! The martyr! Come to take me to Hell with you!" Using all of his energy to keep Muraki from escaping, the Shinigami's purple eyes glazed. "But you won't be killed! You're too strong, you know!" The doctor cackled triumphantly. "At least I die in your arms, Tsuzuki!"  
  
The fire was eating the pale man away, his skin had begun to crisp, leaving black scorch marks on his perfectly white countenance. Suddenly, Hisoka burst through a small patch of flames, with small burns covering his body. "TSUZUKI!" The boy flung himself at the dark haired man, hugging hopelessly to him. The three beings, all clinging together in the black flames, twisted and turned against the excruciating heat of Touda's fire.   
  
Snaking one hand to grip Hisoka's face, Muraki smiled ruefully and threw his head back. Feeding a clear burst of power through the Empath, Muraki's body became a bonfire in itself and erupted gloriously. Tsuzuki, his face stained with tears, stared blankly at the destruction around him.   
  
*******  
Waking up in Juu-En-Ma-Cho's infirmary, Tsuzuki yawned and opened his eyes. He suffered from an array of burns on his nearly flawless body, wincing when movement shot bolts of pain through his limbs. He began to remember what had taken place, the eyeless corpses, the black flames and… Hisoka…. Springing up from the bed, Tsuzuki ignored the stinging agony that accompanied every frantic step he took to try and find his partner.   
  
"Tsuzuki-kun!" Watari yelled, rushing over to the purple eyed man's side. "Tsuzuki! You need to stay in bed! You can't hope to recover from such dire injuries if you're bounding around like this! Lay back down!" He reprimanded, dragging his patient back to his hospital bed.  
  
Clenching his teeth, Tsuzuki glared at the blonde scientist. "Where's Hisoka!? Where is he!?" The Shinigami demanded, slamming down onto the soft, white sheets. Watari blinked and smiled, placing a finger to Tsuzuki's lips. "Well, he's a couple of beds down, behaving like a GOOD patient!"  
  
Tsuzuki's face lit as a few tears cascaded down his gently rounded cheeks. "Really?! He's alright!" He cheered, wrapping his arms around Watari's middle. "Yeah, he's okay. Muraki messed him up quite a bit, put him into a coma. I thought it was hopeless, but due to my brilliance, he should make a full recovery!"  
  
The Shinigami blinked and fell back into his bed, a troubled look in his eyes. "So… He'll be alright?" He asked tentatively. "Well, yeah. It'll put him out of commission for a long time, Muraki pulled quite a number on him, but within a couple of months he'll be right as rain." Watari sighed and patted Tsuzuki on the shoulder. "But I gotta warn you, they're giving you a new partner, and no one's happy about it…"  
  
"What?" Tsuzuki asked, his eyebrows knitted together. "I'm getting a new partner?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's only temporary, once Hisoka's better, they'll reassign him." The scientist comforted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But… Like I said, I'm not so thrilled over-" At that moment, the hospital door creaked over as a blindingly white form strolled through the thresh-hold of the room.  
  
Tsuzuki's eyes widened as his jaw hung open, an intense rage flooding his entire body. "MURAKI!" He screamed.  
  
"Hello… Partner." 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Wow, as sad as this is, five reviews is the most response I've gotten in one day! So, I've decided to try and continue this fic! Continuing fics is rather difficult for me. And I've had the worst time trying to think up a plot for this! If you have any possibilities, even plot-devices, please suggest! And, as an answer to some of my comments, I plan on keeping Muraki's personality as close to the anime and manga as I can. This is my first YnM fic, so I'm not sure how well I can manage it, but I'll try! Also, if any of the things or technicalities I go into in the fic don't match up with the series, I'm sorry. I've only read the translations for the manga through volume 8 and seen the badly subtitled English edition of the YnM anime boxset! So… Just a warning!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or any of the characters. If I did, the series would probably rival Ai No Kusabi for graphic MalexMale sex. I guess that tells you about some of the upcoming chapters! *shrug*  
  
*****  
  
Tsuzuki gazed in hatred at the figure in front of him. "You!" He screamed, launching himself at the sadistic doctor. Interposing himself quickly between the two Shinigamis, Watari grabbed the purple eyed man by the shoulders and shot him a firm glance. "Tsuzuki! Calm down! This is your new partner!"   
  
His eyes widening in a split second, Tsuzuki clenched his fists and glared daggers at Muraki. "Him?! HIM?! After what he did to Hisoka, they make HIM a Shinigami!?" He roared, tears now streaming down his face. Muraki smiled innocently and folded his arms. "Tsuzuki, I wish to apologize for all I've done. You see, in life I was plagued with a merciless obsession, a heated insanity that has all but left me completely. I understand now all of the heinous crimes I had committed and have fully atoned for my sins." Muraki cooed softly, moving Watari out of the way to lightly grasp Tsuzuki's hand. "Please, don't blame me." He pleaded.  
  
Tsuzuki threw his hand out of the doctor's grasp and hurried out of the infirmary towards Kaicho's office. He burst through the entry and surveyed the area for any sign of the elderly man. Prowling around the perimeter of the room like a caged animal, he didn't notice when a certain blue eyed secretary snuck into the office. "Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi questioned, his face stricken.  
  
"Tatsumi! Tatsumi, where's Kaicho! I need to ask someone why Muraki is… Why after what he did… To everyone and to Hisoka he's… he's…." Tsuzuki broke into a fresh flood of weeping and sunk down to the ground. Holding the dark haired Shinigami in his arms tenderly, Tatsumi sighed grievously. "I know, it's hard to understand, but from what I understand, the powers that be have decided that Muraki was too precious a power to let slip away. He's brutal, but necessary. And, if what he says is true, he's completely sane."   
  
Disgusted, Tsuzuki pushed the secretary away and shot to his feet. "You believe him? He's still exactly the same! I can tell! And even if he is so valuable, why me? Why partner him with me?"   
  
Tatsumi parted his lips after being pushed away and got to his feet, a little hurt. "Because, if anyone can help him, you can. Tsuzuki, you're the most understand person in the entire district. They thought, if no one else could, you'd be able to work with him. And I'm sorry for Hisoka, truly I am, but that needs to be the farthest thing from your mind at the moment. This is business." The blue eyed man commanded dignifiedly, brushing off his lapels and exiting the office.   
  
****  
  
Muraki, poised in a relatively plush armchair, smiled lazily at the entire thought of it. How strange, to be on the opposite side to which he was so accustomed. Solving murders… It seemed so trivial. Better to be bathed in the blood of others than to clean it up. But… If this was the only way to reach his goal, so be it. The fragility of the human body could no longer touch him. Death was a tool at his command, a long curved sickle that he would bring in a thousand harvests with. And all this with Tsuzuki at his side. In all his perfection, the man's human heart was what Muraki wished to deprive him of. That compassionate flame in his amethyst eyes would forever be snuffed out by the icy hand of the doctor. And the man would be Muraki's doll forever. How perfectly delicious!  
  
****  
  
Tsuzuki, tucked under the covers of his current bed, attempted to glare straight through the wall. He was now forced not only to be Muraki's partner, but now to live in the same apartment with him. The Shinigami could only hope the phrase "separate beds" held some sort of meaning for the doctor. And that hope was doused rather quickly. As the purple eyed man felt a weight applied to the left side of the bed, he began to tear slowly at the sheets in his iron grasp. Cool hands rested on Tsuzuki's bear back and the newly recruited Shinigami pressed his lips to the man's ear. "Tsuzuki… Isn't it wonderful to be together?" He purred dangerously. "I had wished hopelessly that your blood would stain my hands in life, now I wish only for your body in death. And here we are, wrapped in the cloth of deception and demise, together like twin killers."   
  
The dark haired Shinigami was ready to bolt from the bed at any second, enraged by Muraki's words. The only thing Tsuzuki wanted at the moment was that Hisoka would wake up and the doctor would be relocated. Just a couple of months he told himself… He would have to tolerate Muraki's amorous advances and sadistic poetry for only a few months. That thought alone was enough to soothe Tsuzuki's anger. He'd be back with Hisoka…  
  
"You're thinking of the boy, aren't you?" Muraki questioned roughly while lathering the man's neck with wet kisses. "I really am regretful for hurting the boy so. He truly is gorgeous. Not nearly as beautiful as you, with your broad shoulders and strong limbs, but the green eyed prince is possessed of some feminine loveliness." Tsuzuki simply grunted under the doctor's hold, obviously still considering Muraki untrustworthy.   
  
"You stay so rigid against my pleas. No matter, at least you melt at my touch…" With that, Muraki began to slide his hand downwards, resting it at the curve of Tsuzuki's hip and the top of his waistband. The dark haired man tensed and moved away from the doctor. "Muraki, stop it. I need to sleep." He declined as politely as he could. In actuality, he wanted to summon Suzaku and hopefully burn all of the flesh off of Muraki's blackened bones, but he figured that wouldn't go over too well. The doctor shrugged and brought both of his arms up to wrap them around Tsuzuki's chest. This was perfect. He'd have to sleep with the pale man for what… a couple of months! And Tsuzuki had a feeling that stopping Muraki so easily was a rare occasion. Fluttering his eyelashes in frustration, the man heaved a loud sigh and tried to drift off to sleep.  
  
****  
  
The next day was very hectic. Muraki and Tsuzuki had been assigned to locate four missing souls, all the product of a very strange gang warfare. The four men had all died fighting each other and the hatred they felt was potent enough to keep their spirits in their decaying bodies. Tsuzuki had seen this sort of thing before, but never with such a partner. Every few moments, Muraki would sigh longingly and toss out something like "Wonderful" or "Superb." Although it had come to be expected with the doctor, it made the purple eyed Shinigami more than a little nervous. Getting this job done would be pretty tough if Muraki simply wanted to be the commentator.   
  
Arming himself with an ofuda, Tsuzuki leapt at the first fighter that presented himself and pressed the long strip of paper to the man's forehead. Immediately the body sagged and fell to the ground. Actually, doing this by himself was fairly easy. The remaining three men continued to battle each other, unnoticing of the first person's disappearance. They were so consumed with the idea of killing each other that the rest of the world was a blur. That made things much easier, but tugged at Tsuzuki's wicked conscience. They hadn't even known what hit them… Striking down a second individual, the dark haired Shinigami stopped in his tracks. Not only was the scene one of sadness, the remaining men wrestling with each other, ignoring all other stimulants, but Muraki was resting against a brick wall, chuckling softly. He was amused?   
  
This was getting out of hand! Tsuzuki wanted to finish the job as soon as possible and be done with the whole lot. Mercifully pressing the third ofuda to a living corpse, the Shinigami's jaw drop as he noticed that Muraki had embraced the last soul and was now pressing the body to his blindingly white jacket. Petting the dead man's grimy hair, Muraki kissed the rotting lips fiercely, pulling the man up to intensify the embrace. The corpse's legs kicked furiously as his arms fell limply to his sides. The kiss was broken pensively by Muraki, who was smiling blankly. And there, lay the body, completely drained of animation and bent at disturbing angles.   
  
"Tsuzuki, we've finished. I hope all of our assignments turn out to be so worthwhile." Muraki mused, stroking the tip of his chin.   
  
****  
  
Back inside the apartment, Tsuzuki shook his head profusely, as if to banish the memories of the day clear out of his head. No! Muraki hadn't changed a bit. He was still just as vicious and rampant as he had been in life. He had liked taking those pitiful souls! How could someone enjoy such a horrendous job? There was no other way to explain it! And now Tsuzuki was stuck with him.   
  
"Tsuzuki? Ready for bed?" Muraki droned, patting the soft sheets beside him. The purple eyed man had now taken to wearing a shirt to bed, just to keep the feel of the doctor's fingers off of his bare skin. Climbing into bed grudgingly beside the pale man, Tsuzuki frowned as Muraki held him to his breast. "Oh, Tsuzuki. So warm you feel. Your lips look delicious, just like the body's. The lips of the dead are so clammy, but yours, yours are filled with the vigor that your hatred for me pumps through them. How I long to suck that vile emotion straight out of them, to lock it inside my own body and know forever how wonderfully horrible I am…"  
  
****  
  
Author's Note....The Sequel: Um... Hmmm... *sighs* If anyone could help me with some of the more complicated terms from the series, I'd be much obliged! I always mix them up. En-Ma-Cho... En-Dai-Oh... Confusing-Oh... LOL. Bad joke. Anyway, my only peeve about this is that I have to make poor Tsuzuki so angst-ridden and bitter over poor Hisoka! I love Hisoka! I just... Had to cut him out!!! Anyway... Please suggest any ideas you might have about this fic. Like I said, it's hard to come up with a good, solid plot!!! 


End file.
